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Review: Tefal Quick Cup low energy kettle: hot water in 3 seconds. £59,99

new%20kettle.jpgOur latest green addition to the office has been a huge hit with caffeine addicts...the Tefal Quick Cup is one of a new generation of 'kettle replacers'; smart gadgets that not only produce near-boiling water in three seconds flat, but require very little energy to do so. In fact, it uses up to 65% less electricity than a standard kettle, which will save on your energy bill, too.

For coffee, tea or herbal infusion of your choice you simply place a mug underneath the spout, press a button and as if by magic, instant hot, filtered water (yes, it can do this too) fills your cup. No more waiting around for the kettle to boil, which is particularly good news in a busy office!

So just how 'green' is this gadget? The science behind it looks pretty sound. Unlike a normal kettle, which heats its entire tank every time it's boiled whether you're having one cup or six, the Quick Cup only heats the amount of water you need. It uses a system that forces the water up through a spiral system of heating elements that work so quickly no pre-heating is required. I'm suitably impressed by this, and I think we'll be keeping ours; the Quick Cup costs £59.99 and is available from most household electrical suppliers.

And what about the quality of the drinks it produces? One thing to remember is that the Quick-Cup does not actually boil the water. It comes out very hot -- hot enough to use for making coffee and tea -- but it will not actually be boiling. While working I find this a bonus, as it means no waiting for the drink to cool down to get that much-needed caffeine fix. But You may find you need to drink it a bit more quickly than usual. For coffee, the quality is just the same as using water at boiling point, but for tea, I'd have to admit the quality is not quite so great. Having said all this, we've had a Quick-Cup in our office for a few months alongside a standard kettle, and still use the Quick-Cup more often than the kettle because of it's speed and east of use.

Posted by Abi on July 9, 2007

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Comments

Filters work out at £2 per week. Please add that to your review. It's too expensive to run.

Posted by: Linda Harrison | August 20, 2007 5:35 PM

The quick cup does not boil water, it dispenses it at 80-85c and mine make a poor cup of tea, it is not brewed properly and goes cold quick, I'm told Tetleys do not recommend it

Posted by: ron hacker | September 9, 2007 9:10 PM

Tefal say it is not a kettle and will not boil water

Posted by: Ron Hacker | September 9, 2007 9:12 PM

Please note that tefal say you don't have to use the filter, you can just use it to heat tap water. Hence you don't have to shell out that £2 a week...

Posted by: james | September 17, 2007 10:40 PM

Is it noisey? My other brand kettle is very and need to turn up tv when using.
And use milk in tea.........water hot/boiling?
Jane

Posted by: Jane | September 18, 2007 1:07 PM

I actually like it a lot, so it doesn't boil, its still hot eneough to make a really good coffee, if your a tea fan you may be disapointed. But it makes my green teas spot for me.

Posted by: Gary | September 18, 2007 3:42 PM

Can you put milk in the water so it heats the
milk and water at the same time, therefore a cup of
tea will not go cold so quickly?

Posted by: D | September 24, 2007 5:30 PM

I have recently purchased the quick cup and the only problem I have got with it is that it leaves a residual at the top drink. Has anyone else found this? It doesn't make the drink very appealing. I have contacted Tefal to ensure that I haven't got a faulty machine.

Posted by: Mumshack | September 28, 2007 11:45 AM

I have found that for tea drinkers, dispense one cup of hot water, discard and then pour a second cup, water seems to stay hotter longer, probably because the cup has been warmed up with the first dispense. I have also had the scum on the top, which I find odd considering (for us) it is filtered water going into the tank, and filtered a second time as it goes through the machine!! I'd give the machine a 6 out of 10.

Posted by: Corey | October 3, 2007 8:05 PM

Purchased mine Saturday - still undecided, but think I like it! Things against it are - filters are expensive, it's a bit noisy, flow of water is not fast. Things in favour are it's quick, it filters cold water as well so I won't be using my Britta jug (saving which cancels cost of filters for machine), it's energy saving, and it's VERY convenient - it's just there on tap 24-7.

I think if my previous kettle hadn't gone wrong, I would have waited to get the 2nd generation which no doubt other manufacturers will be lining up to introduce shortly, but as I had to buy anyway, I would say I'm generally pretty happy with it.

Posted by: Andy | October 4, 2007 9:41 AM

Is it a def no-no for tea? Doesn't the ad show a tea bag in the cup? I like the idea of this machine but having seen so many second hand ones for sale and bad reviews wondering whether it will be an expensive mistake.

Also what about things like cup soups and pot noodles? is the water hot enough? If it only does half the job I don't think it's worth the money. I want to like this machine--the idea is excellent.

Wondering whether to wait for a newer improved version with hotter water.

Posted by: amy | October 12, 2007 2:07 PM

I am REALLY DISAPPOINTED with this product and shall be taking it back to Curry's asap! The water is not hot enough to cope with even a dash of milk. It is not 'piping hot' as advertised. For a machine that costs in excess of £50 it is a dreadful waste of money.

Posted by: Sara Craig | November 18, 2007 7:57 PM

Dissapointed with product,returned 1st to argos after 3 weeks because not hot enough to brew tea,scum on the top, replacement fine for one week then starting with scum, I am going to remove filter and put white vinegar through to descale as reccomended to see if this improves temperature.

Posted by: michael | November 21, 2007 7:36 PM

Took mine back, made the worst cup of tea ever, and the scum in the cup made me feel ill.... total waste of money, put the good old kettle back in my kitchen!

Posted by: Stacey | November 22, 2007 11:26 AM

Anybody else having a problem with algal bloom in the water container of the QuickCup? The shape of the thing makes it almost impossible to keep clean.

Posted by: Mick | November 22, 2007 12:09 PM

I recently saw this advertised on the gadget show and bought it on the strength of their review.

If you are a tea drinker DO NOT BUY this, tea does not brew properly without boiling water. After finding the taste of the tea terrible, I measured the temperature of the flowing water at 80C.

This devices is marketed as a kettle when it is, in fact, a water heater, my advice is forget it, I am sending mine back.

Totally disappointed.

Posted by: Guy Banks | December 2, 2007 10:53 AM

Fantastic device for coffee.

Posted by: darren | December 3, 2007 8:40 AM

WHAT A TOTAL RIP OFF YOU CANT MAKE TEA BECAUSE WATER IS LUKEWARM>>>>>>>>THANKS TEFAL FOR RIPPING US ALL OFF

Posted by: Glynn | February 10, 2008 8:19 AM

No good for brewing tea at all Tefal do not seem bethered if you have purchased the product that does not work £50+ also after 2 days it has started tripping the fuses in the house, on the whole a poor product.

Posted by: Philip | February 28, 2008 10:07 PM

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